Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “porky” come from?

porky (English) comes from English porcupine, from Middle English porke despyne, from Old French porc-espin, from Latin porcus, from Proto-Italic porkos, from Proto-Indo-European pórḱos, from Proto-Indo-European perḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European per- — passed , crossed.

porky (English): Resembling or characteristic of pork; Rather fat;...

Definitions

  1. Resembling or characteristic of pork; Rather fat;...

Ancestry of “porky”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishporcupineAny of several rodents of either of the taxonomic...
2Middle Englishporke despyne—
3Old Frenchporc-espin—
4Latinporcusa piglet, a young pig; a pig, hog; Short for...
5Proto-Italicporkospig
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpórḱospiglet
7Proto-Indo-Europeanperḱ-colored; motley; to open, rip up
8Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “porky”

  • porkiness
  • porkily
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →